Why You Should Consider Renovating Your Property With Renewable Technology

It’s becoming increasingly more popular these days for people to seek out different solutions to making their home more efficient. With the constant rise of energy prices and more people wanting to go greener, it’s making more and more sense to invest.

We think we have the solution – renewable technology.

A lot of people may think that you can only install renewable technology to new build homes, but that is not the case. It is never too late to make the switch to a more efficient way of life.

Your property could benefit from the use of renewable energy systems in multiple different ways, but which systems would suit your home and needs?

We’ve decided to break down the different renewable technologies that are suitable for home use and the kind of benefits you could be achieving.

Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FIT)

So before we get to any systems, let’s take a look at something we’re sure everyone will be interested in.

Want to make back some of the money you invested?

The Feed-in Tariff (FIT for short) scheme is a UK Government programme designed to encourage people to install renewable energy systems. Through the FIT, you can actually make money back for any electricity that you generate.

But how does it work you ask?

Well, if your renewable energy system is installed by an MCS accredited company (like The Greener Group) then you are eligible to receive money back on the energy your system produces for up to 20 years.

You can benefit from the scheme in three different ways. The Generation Tariff is an agreed rate set by the DECC (The Department of Energy & Climate Change) for each kWh you generate from your system and it will be guaranteed for up to 20 years.

Then you have the Export Tariff, where you can earn additional money for export any energy not used back to the rid. Lastly, because you are producing your own energy you will end up saving money on your energy bills, meaning you have a couple of pounds extra in your pocket each month.

Not a bad deal, right?
If you’d like to learn more about the Feed-in Tariff, click here.

So now that we’ve explained one of the fantastic reasons to invest, let’s take a look at some of the renewable technology on offer.

Solar PV

Solar PV panels are one of the most popular types of renewable energy systems as they are attached to your roof and do not take up much room.

When installed, a Solar PV system uses the energy produced by the Sun and converts it into electricity through the panels.

The energy generated from the system will allow you to power any appliance in your household, meaning you will automatically see a significant drop in the amount you are paying each month on those pricey energy bills.

So not only are you providing yourself with clean, free energy but you are also doing your part in helping the environment. How can you argue with that?

Now we know we don’t exactly get the best weather in Great Britain, and that may raise a few issues. But there is no need to worry, as the introduction of battery storage allows you to store up any unused energy to literally be used on a rainy day.

Want to know more about battery storage? Click here for more information.

Heat Pumps

Heat Pumps are an ideal heating solution for many properties and are a fantastic way to provide environmentally friendly heat for your home.

Installing Heat Pumps into your home is now a viable and credible alternative to traditional fossil fuel based methods and can help you combat the ever-rising energy bills. You can even earn money back through the Renewable Heat Incentive.

What is the Renewable Heat Incentive you ask? Don’t worry; we will explain everything a little later on.

While Heat Pumps may require electricity to operate, you can expect around 3x the amount of heat produced for every 1kW of electricity consumed – meaning around 70% of the energy used will be renewable. If you really wanted to get serious about this, then you could couple up your Heat Pump to a Solar PV system to achieve the maximum results.

There are 3 kinds of Heat Pumps that you can install; Air Source, Ground Source and Solar Assisted.

Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) take the latent heat from the outside air and compresses it into gas, which then heats up and the heat is transferred to your property’s heating system. ASHPs do not require any fuel to function and are powered by your property’s main electricity source.

Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) use pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from below the Earth’s surface. The ground underneath the surface tends to stay at a fairly consistent temperature so GSHPs can produce heat throughout the entire year, even during winter.

Solar Assisted Heat Pumps (SAHPs) consist of aluminium panels that are installed on a wall or roof and they absorb heat from the atmosphere and transforms it into gas. SAHPs also benefit from the Sun, improving the efficiency of the panel and giving you better results.

Ground Source and Air Source are the most common kinds of Heat Pumps, but it really depends on your property. Here at The Greener Group, we assess your home and build you a system that is tailor made to your property, ensuring your heating needs are met.

Now, about that Renewable Heat Incentive…

Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a UK Government scheme put in place to encourage people to install Heat Pumps and produce their own heat energy.

Through the RHI, you will earn money for every unit of heat energy generated by your renewable heating system. The Incentive was designed to “level the playing field” when it comes to renewable and fossil fuel systems, and is trying to get more and more people making the switch to more environmentally friendly solutions.

Once you join the Domestic RHI, you will stay on the same tariff over the course of 7 years. This should be more than enough time to earn back the money you invested on your renewable heating system, so it pays for itself.

If you’d like to learn more about the kind of savings you could be making and how it all works, get in touch with the team today.

Underfloor Heating

Underfloor Heating is a very efficient and less visible way of heating up your property.

We all know that feeling of getting out of bed on a chilly day and that horrible shock when we step onto the laminate flooring. You can escape this winter nightmare by installing Underfloor Heating.

When talking about Underfloor Heating, there are 2 different systems to choose from; Dry Systems and Wet Systems.

‘Dry Systems’ are powered by electric and are ideal for smaller spaces. Electric powered systems are cheap to install as well, but may end up being slightly more expensive to run due to running off the mains.

‘Wet Systems’ are powered by your boiling system and are ideal when working with larger areas. Whilst they are more complicated to install than dry systems, they are cheaper to run.

The best part of it all is that you can couple up your Underfloor Heating with Heat Pumps and/or Solar PV systems to be eligible for the FIT and RHI schemes. Partnering up these systems will not only earn you money back, but will also help you run your home at a much more efficient level.

Summary

As you can see, there are many different ways you can improve the efficiency of your home whilst saving a couple of pennies along the way. These types of systems are becoming more and more popular among households, with people making the leap to a more renewable lifestyle all the time.

The perfect time to invest in renewable technology is right now, as energy prices only keep rising and the cost of renewable systems lowers.

Are you ready to make the change?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these systems or want to talk about installing, feel free to get in touch today.